1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of Business/Customer Synergy and more particularly to a system and method of personalized customer service where a private network of subscribing businesses communicates directly with customers via personal agent devices to create customer loyalty, provide direct sales information prior to purchase, provide feedback and customer profiles to participating businesses, and provide a host of customer/business services.
2. Description of Related Art
Traditionally businesses have operated independently of one another. When a customer enters a store, the business has tried to capture his or her attention by various signs, displays, etc. The store has little or no data about the customer or his or her buying habits, desires, etc., except that generated at the point of sale. Some stores have tried to use subscriber cards to track customer profiles and buying patterns. However, this use has been very limited and has involved at most one business or one chain of businesses.
Human beings are generally interested in certain subjects and are interested in information about bargains, specials, sweepstakes, and other buying advantages. As consumers, they do not mind being made aware of this information if it could be presented in a selective manner rather than a barrage of useless advertising or junk mail.
In the past, businesses have run internal point-of-sale systems, inventory systems, etc. but have not communicated with other businesses at the direct point of sale. No systems exist where businesses communicate both with other businesses, directly with a customer, and where the system can sense when a customer is near some specific product of interest in the store, or in the immediate range of the store or neighboring vicinity.
What is badly needed is a means where different stores, product companies, and businesses in different lines of supply could track customers as well as specials etc. on various services and merchandise, and where this information could be shared with a specific individual customer in an intelligent manner between that customer and businesses in synergy as well as selectively with other interested customers. What is badly needed is a personal agent device that a participating customer could carry or wear that could communicate with a private network of subscribing businesses. This agent would provide real-time information to the customer with selected interest that is tailored to the individual needs and desires of an individual customer and the specified service, store, or product business. In addition this agent would allow the customer and subscribing businesses to communicate with a master controller and database. In this way, customer profiles could be generated that would allow information to be tailored to a specific customer. In addition, with micro-communicator chips placed on products, that customer's personal agent device could communicate directly with individual products information about the product that would be of interest to that customer.